During a recent summit convened by the White House on the importance
of nuclear energy to addressing climate change, the EPA’s top air
official encouraged action at the state level to preserve existing
nuclear energy facilities.
Janet McCabe who heads the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation stated that:

• “The Clean Power Plan is not all-powerful . . . . [w]e can’t, on
our own, through this policy, change the trajectory for power plants
that are affected by many, many factors.
• It is clear that if a . . . nuclear plant closes down, that
is zero carbon generation that a state will need to accommodate in its
plan. That’s definitely an incentive built in to keep those clean
resources going.
• [S]tates can choose policies that incentivize those activities . . . .”
Illinois Policymakers need to act to preserve its leading source of zero carbon generation.

According to a State of Illinois report, the premature closure of
at-risk plants in Illinois would have severe consequences for Illinois
carbon emissions at a cost of up to $1.1 billion per year.
We need policy reforms like the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard that
properly recognize and value the significant amount of carbon-free
electricity that comes from Illinois’ nuclear fleet to level the playing
field for all forms of clean energy and best position our state to meet
EPA’s new carbon reduction rules.
Learn more about the benefits of nuclear energy at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com